Last weekend I stayed in picturesque Normandy to attend the start of the Tour de France. If you are in a gorgeous region like this, you of course haven't only eyes for the riders. Normandy was one of those places that had been on my wishlist like forever because of my huge interest in history and definitely the World Wars and one thing I know for sure: I'll be back!Each corner you turn, reveals another gorgeous view and the landscape still bares visible traces of the second World War. There are literally countless museums to visit about this subject. Unfortunately we didn't have that much spare time but in this blogpost I'll show you what we visited.

Our first stop was the small village Etretat. There's not much to experience but it's the perfect place to have a peaceful moment. Or in our case to quietly wake up after having slept in a car all night long. What is this place known for you might wonder!? Well, Etretat is known for a chalk rock which resembles an elephant which puts its snout into the water. There are also many delicious restaurants.

If you travel to low Normandy you will definitely have to cross Pont de Normandie. On the moment of its inauguration in 1995 it was the longest rope bridge which allows free passage. You feel like a child in an amusement park.

The American cemetery in Normandy is one of the most impressive things I've ever seen. During moments like these you realise how pointless war is and how high the death toll was. Row after row of white crosses are spread over the grass and are a silent memory of the perished soldiers. Furthermore there's a chapel in which you can pray and a memorial. Normally you can also visit Omaha Beach on which D-Day took place but unfortunately this wasn't accessible due to security measures.

Pointe du Hoc is situated on a cliff at the Normandic coast. This place was occupied by the Germans with a stripe of canons and bunkers. On 6th June 1944 during the landing in Normandy, Pointe du Hoc was the first place to be recaptured with the allies. Parts of bunkers, craters of bombs are still visible at Pointe du Hoc.

Sainte-Mère-Eglise was freed on 6th June 1944 by the air landing division of the 82e division and it was the first freed city of the invasion. Until this day this event is being commemorated with a doll of a parachutist which still hangs down the church tower and a museum is dedicated to parachutists.